Chapter 318: Gong Yu and Zhu Lin

Wei Hong, still in her teenage growth spurt, stared at Li Zhi as if facing a thunderclap—how well-fed could she possibly be!

"I'm Mr. Wei's assistant; you can call me Nina," said Li Zhi, striding ahead in high heels, hips swaying with the polished air of a Hong Kong elite.

She even had a Western name—Wei Hong was awed but had a sudden idea: "Hi, Nina, you can call me Red."

Li Zhi's lips curled slightly: A rather plain English name.

On the upper floor, Wei Lingling had just woken up, still in her pajamas, exuding a languid beauty.

"Little Red, you're here—have you had breakfast yet…? You ate so early? Then stay and have a little more with me—I'll just change clothes first."

"Yes, Auntie."

Li Zhi froze, whispering: "You call our boss 'Auntie'?"

"Yes."

Li Zhi asked again: "What's your relationship with Wei Ming?"

"He's my brother," Wei Hong emphasized, "my real brother."

"Little Red, you can call me Xiao Li Jie," Li Zhi suddenly became warm, "I'm actually very close with your brother—I got this assistant job through his recommendation."

"Oh, Xiao Li Jie, just call me Xiao Hong," Wei Hong smiled, though her impression of Li Zhi remained lukewarm—she'd been aloof before, now overly sweet; Wei Hong preferred her earlier defiant attitude, and hoped she wouldn't become her sister-in-law.

"Why didn't your brother come?"

"He's busy with work—he never stops writing; as soon as he has time, he writes. Xiao Li Jie, your Mandarin is excellent—our school has Hong Kong exchange students, but none speak as well as you."

Li Zhi looked embarrassed: "Actually, I'm not a native Hong Konger—I grew up in Shanghai, and only recently immigrated."

"Oh."

Wei Lingling emerged and led them to breakfast. Wei Hong had never eaten breakfast at such a grand hotel before—many of the guests were foreigners, far more formal than Peking University's English Corner.

This scene strongly stirred Wei Hong's urge to use English.

Over breakfast, Wei Lingling asked: "Little Red, where do you plan to take us sightseeing?"

Wei Hong replied: "You've been to the Forbidden City—want to see the Great Wall?"

Wei Lingling: "It's too hot today."

Wei Hong: "What about Fragrant Hills? Not good either—the maple leaves aren't red yet. Have you been to Wangfujing or Xidan?"

Li Zhi seized the chance: "On our first day we toured Wangfujing; yesterday I went to Xidan myself."

Wei Hong: "The hottest clothing store in Xidan right now is Oriental New Horizon."

Li Zhi: "I know—I went there too. It's just okay, nothing compared to Hong Kong's big malls."

Wei Hong whispered: "That's my brother's."

Li Zhi quickly added: "But compared to other Beijing stores, it's leagues ahead—extremely advanced, fantastic!"

Wei Lingling became interested: "So your brother runs a clothing store?"

"Mainly his two friends manage it—he's just the major shareholder. His focus is still on creative work."

Wei Lingling wiped her lips—this setup felt so much like DreamWorks; apparently, he wasn't new to being a hands-off boss.

"Since you've both been to Wangfujing and Xidan, why not go to Dashilan? There you can experience traditional culture."

Wei Hong's suggestion won unanimous approval, and she began recalling which bus to take.

Wei Lingling laughed: "No need for the bus—the hotel car can take us."

Wei Hong gasped: "Ah, a car!"

At the Daguanlou Cinema, the theater was nearly full, with long queues of people waiting to enter and buy tickets.

Wei Ming still had some clout here—he'd already secured the tickets, and now he handed a mask to Gong Yu.

"Put this on."

"Huh?"

"To prevent you from being recognized—I don't want to become the public enemy. Even though wearing a mask in summer is conspicuous, your current fame makes it too likely someone will spot you parading around with a young man."

The key point was, the young man planned to take Zhu Lin to see the same movie that afternoon—Wu Fenfang from "The Herdsman" and Shuilian from "Happy Family" were both national daughter-in-law icons; newspapers were already comparing these two ideal wives.

"Will this hide me?" Gong Yu asked, pulling the mask on outside.

Wei Ming: "I can still recognize you at a glance—but others aren't as familiar with you, so it should be fine."

"Then why don't you wear one?"

Wei Ming chuckled: "Who knows me?"

The two entered the cinema and sat in a secluded back corner—not to do anything improper, just to avoid attention.

From the very first tentative fight scene, the audience burst into exclamations—Wow, so thrilling! This was incredibly rare for mainland viewers.

Wei Ming thought: This is nothing—just an appetizer.

The film's standout feature was its abundant, varied, and highly entertaining action sequences—especially Wu Jing's portrayal of the husband. Though he had no formal fight scenes, he used cleverness to eliminate enemies several times, delivering big laughs.

Even though Gong Yu wasn't particularly fond of martial arts films, she found it immensely enjoyable, especially loving the husband—she thought if Xi Zi were a few years older, he'd be perfect for the role.

Later, when the husband's young wife descended from the sky during a crisis, the scene became wildly dramatic, triggering roaring laughter from the entire theater.

This laughter differed from the everyday humor of "Happy Family."

Gong Yu thought of Huang Jiaoyan she'd seen just days ago—then, Yanzi had radiated maternal warmth; here, Yanzi was like a beautiful tigress, stealing every spotlight.

She felt that the moment this female action star appeared, her own Wu Fenfang and Lin Jie's Shuilian had been overshadowed.

So beautiful—Gong Yu even entertained the idea of learning martial arts to strengthen her body.

By the end, Biaozi finally had his moment—alone against the entire protagonist team, ferocious yet tragic, dying in a picturesque lake—truly beautiful, strong, and tragic.

But when Biaozi fought Yanzi, Xue Jie—who knew their real relationship—couldn't help but be distracted.

Then when Wei Ming whispered that Yanzi's baby was conceived during the filming of this scene, Xue Jie became even more disoriented, feeling as if every audience member had become part of their private play.

The 90-minute film passed quickly. When it ended and the lights came on, the audience looked reluctant to leave—many made plans to rewatch with friends.

As Wei Ming was about to rise, holding Xue Jie's hand, someone from the last row tapped his shoulder.

"Teacher Wei?"

Wei Ming turned: "Oh, Editor Liang!"

It was the old bachelor Liang Xiao—what a coincidence.

Beside him was a well-featured girl—clearly his girlfriend. Unbelievable.

Gong Yu quietly let go of Wei Ming's hand—she'd acted in the Beijing Film Studio and recognized him as an editor from its Literature Department.

The four exited the cinema together. In the bright light, Liang Xiao felt the woman beside Wei Ming looked familiar, but since she didn't introduce herself, he didn't dare ask directly—instead, he kept introducing his girlfriend.

Wei Ming kept playing dumb: "Ah, Sister-in-law, nice to meet you! Let me tell you, Editor Liang is a real man of character."

The "Sister-in-law" remark left Jiao Dan and Liang Xiao embarrassed. Liang Xiao no longer cared to investigate who Wei Ming's companion was—he grabbed his girlfriend and made an excuse to leave.

As soon as Liang Xiao left, Gong Yu pulled down her mask to breathe, then quickly put it back on—she'd spotted Wei Hong.

Wei Ming hadn't seen her yet—Gong Yu immediately pulled him around to look at a roadside sign.

"I saw Xiao Hong—she's with two women," Gong Yu said, having glanced only once but remembering vividly: two stylish, beautiful women whose presence on the street outshone even her mask.

Wei Ming: "Oh, those are our relatives from Hong Kong—we call her 'Auntie'—the short-haired one is her assistant."

"Assistant?"

"Think of her as a secretary."

"So your aunt isn't ordinary—she even has a secretary."

"Of course—she runs a factory in Hong Kong and holds dual bachelor's degrees from Stanford University. Tomorrow I'm going to Shanghai to help her with business."

"Auntie, you went to Stanford? Isn't Stanford in San Francisco? How's their math program?" Wei Hong asked.

"It's excellent," Wei Lingling boasted, "Stanford's math department ranks among the top in the U. . If you ever want to study there, let your aunt know—I might be able to help."

"You have that much influence at Stanford?" Wei Hong was astonished.

Wei Lingling: "I don't—but someone else does. Foreign universities place heavy emphasis on recommendation letters; sometimes they value connections even more than China does."

Wei Hong didn't know this—she'd planned to rely solely on her undeniable high scores to open doors to top overseas universities.

Wei Ming woke early, preparing to take Gong Yu back to the Sihe Academy for a nap.

At first, Xue Jie felt shy—this was daytime.

But remembering they'd part tomorrow, she let him have his way.

Just as they pulled the curtains and were in the thick of it, the dog Yinxing suddenly barked—Xue Jie trembled like a leaf.

At the same time, the police chief climbed onto the wall, watching the group outside.

Old Wei felt awkward—today Qi Kexiu claimed to be unwell and took the day off, so he and another middle-aged female teacher hadn't gone far—they'd taken the students to visit the legendary Youth Palace.

This was the Beijing Municipal Youth Palace, not a district one. In 1956, the government allocated the former imperial palace Shouhuang Hall, north of Jingshan, as the Beijing Municipal Youth Palace—so it could also be considered a historical site.

The Youth Palace, which she'd only heard of in math problems, she now saw in person—the rural elementary students were stunned. Their peers here cultivated interests in art, music, inventions—even Rubik's cubes, which they'd only learned about yesterday from Sister Wei Hong.

After leaving the Youth Palace, everyone was thirsty. Old Wei bought them ice pops, but they didn't quench thirst. Since they were close to his Sihe Academy, he took them there for water—and to show off what it felt like to live next to the emperor.

But the door was locked from inside. His first thought: his precious son was inside—and probably not alone. Old Wei covered for him: "Teacher Zhao, my son must be locked in writing—he's probably so absorbed he can't hear us."

Teacher Zhao, who had taught Wei Ming, sighed understandingly: "It's best not to disturb him now—we're not really that thirsty, right?"

The elementary students, voices hoarse and uneven, shouted: "Right!" "We're not thirsty!" "Don't disturb Ming-ge writing!"

Old Wei smiled warmly: "Then let's find a restaurant—they have water too. I know one nearby—it's Beijing's first private restaurant. Let's try it—I'll treat you!"

Inside.

Wei Ming lifted Xue Jie up: "Listen—the dog's quiet now. Someone must've passed by and caused a commotion."

Gong Yu didn't believe it—Yinxing was well-behaved; this was probably Uncle or Auntie arriving.

Sweaty and eyes glistening, Xue Jie looked at him: "Bad guy—you kept going even though someone was outside."

"The arrow's already on the string—I can't stop."

"Then why did you speed up~"

"Your performance made me think you were motivating me," Wei Ming said shamelessly.

But he suspected it was Old Wei or his mother who had come over—clearly, he needed to arrange a comfortable place for Xue Jie soon, or else she might not dare to come at all.

After cleaning up, Xue Jie was leaving: "Xiao Ying is leaving tomorrow—I'll keep her company, and I need to get her to bring some things for Mom and Dad."

Gong Ying didn't return to Magu with Wei Ming this time, to avoid putting too much pressure on him.

After Gong Ying left, Wei Ming called the Tuanjiehu side; Zhu Lin had been waiting for him and had canceled all his appointments for the day.

In the afternoon, Wei Ming and Zhu Lin went to the movies—this time to a different theater, watching "Happy Family" instead, planning to see "Heroes Rise from Youth" after returning from Magu.

Seeing the mask Wei Ming handed her, Zhu Lin wondered: I wonder if Xiao Xue has already worn it.

Wei Ming: No, today is Xue Jie's safe period.

Wei Ming had watched "Happy Family" more than five times, but this was his first time seeing it in an indoor cinema—previously, he'd only seen it at open-air village screenings or on the movie channel.

And this was also his first time watching the version starring Zhu Lin and Zhu Shimao—he treated it entirely as a new film, finding it quite enjoyable: the plot flowed smoothly, blending humor with warmth and moral value.

Besides, Lin Jie looked beautiful playing the village girl—no wonder she and Xue Jie were both top contenders for the title of Best Screen Daughter-in-Law.

Outside the cinema, Old Wei bought tickets and told the elementary students: "One major reason we're watching this film today is its strong educational value—it teaches you to be filial. Good, line up orderly and enter."

After dinner, Old Wei treated the students to another movie.

"Principal Wei, Principal Wei!" Teacher Zhao suddenly called out. "I just thought I saw Student Wei Ming."

Wei Jiefang: "Unlikely—he's busy creating right now."

Cousin Qi Delong said: "Maybe he's finished? I thought I saw him too, walking over that way."

Teacher Sun: "Yes, yes, I thought I was mistaken—but Qi Delong wouldn't mistake his brother."

Old Wei looked in that direction, thoughtful: "Hmm, maybe he really is done."

Qi Delong: "I also saw a woman with my brother—couldn't see her face, but she must be pretty."

Old Wei: Oh? So they haven't started yet?

Wei Ming had no intention of starting anything now. After the movie, he took Lin Jie to the People's Art Theatre—officially to check on the rehearsal of "The Two Donkeys," but his real motives were far from pure, and deeply complicated.

The main cast for "The Two Donkeys" now consists of members of the People's Art Theatre's student class, learning acting while rehearsing the play as training.

All these students were old acquaintances of Wei Ming's; one of his purposes in coming to the theatre was to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones.

In his past life, Wei Ming entered the screenwriting circle largely thanks to Dan Dan Jie—she insisted he accompany her on set to revise scripts that didn't match her speech habits.

Though a bit domineering and disrespectful to the original screenwriter, in the entertainment world, if you're famous, everything you do is right.

Then there was Liang Guanhua, the little fat guy—through their friendship, Wei Ming later met Liu Heng, author of "Poor Mouth Zhang Damin," and gained another powerful ally, giving him multiple legs to stand on.

Also Wang Ji, Luo Ligē, and several other girls had always had a soft spot for handsome Wei Ming; now that Teacher Wei had arrived, they became fangirls. Only Song Dandan remained somewhat reserved—her family background was good, she'd seen and experienced much—but she still secretly observed Wei Ming and the woman beside him.

Zhu Lin had taken off her mask; many recognized the popular movie star.

Wei Ming greeted Li Guangfu, then went inside to find Lao Xian Sheng Yu Shi and Lao Xian Sheng Lan Tianye.

He had a hometown connection with Old Lan—he was also a friend of Wei Ming's grandfather—so Wei Ming brought him some health supplements from Hong Kong as a token of respect.

Yu Shi was vice president of the People's Art Theatre; Cao Yu was over seventy and entering his twilight years, so Yu Shi held considerable authority.

Wei Ming wanted to ask if the theatre could help Zhu Lin with her job placement.

Wei Ming had donated the adaptation rights to "The Two Donkeys" to the theatre for free, and Zhu Lin was no unknown or talentless person—she'd performed well in "Happy Family," and her image was impeccable, stronger than any of the new recruits.

"But can Comrade Zhu Lin endure the hardships of stage acting?"

Zhu Lin raised her thumb: "I've always believed actors who excel in theatre are the best of all actors—I have aspirations for this profession."

She also hoped to elevate her acting skills further.

Seeing Yu Shi's approving look, Wei Ming quickly added: "But she's about to star in two films for Changying Studio—she'll need to wait until after those are finished before she can settle down."

Yu Shi laughed heartily: "Fine, we'll discuss it at our next meeting. But Comrade Zhu Lin, your name carries considerable pressure if you want to act in theatre."

Zhu Lin smiled: "Yes, who knew I'd share a name with the Queen of Theatre? Could I meet Teacher Zhu Lin? My whole family adores her theatre work."

"What a coincidence—Old Zhu rarely comes here, but he's here today."

They meant Zhu Lin, the same-named Queen of Chinese Theatre, who had starred in major plays like "Thunderstorm" and "Cai Wenji," even more senior than Yu Shi and Lan Tianye.

Later, Zhu Lin went to chat with Zhu Lin, while Wei Ming quietly approached Li Guangfu.

Li Guangfu greeted Wei Ming with gratitude: "Our hometown boys are amazing—they finally got through to those stubborn holdouts in our courtyard! Why didn't they come during winter break? I'd still welcome them!"

Wei Ming laughed: "You really don't care about my wallet, do you?"

Li Guangfu grinned: "Your wallet doesn't need worrying about—Dongfang Xintiandi is a cash cow. You don't need this."

Wei Ming: "I've already planned to expand the scholarship fund to our local middle school and county high school, and intend to make it annual. I'm also planning to build bridges and pave roads—there's still some pressure."

In truth, there was no pressure at all, but Li Guangfu believed him: "Oh? Then the two houses I just heard about aren't small."

"How big?"

Discussing Sihe Academy with Li Guangfu was one of Wei Ming's key purposes for coming here today.

Li Guangfu said: "I mainly want to recommend one in Nánluógǔxiàng—a Qing Dynasty two-courtyard Sihe Academy, about seven or eight hundred square meters, well-preserved—but they want foreign exchange."

Wei Ming now had more foreign exchange than RMB—no problem.

"I'm going to Magu tomorrow; after I return, we'll go see it. There's another one."

"The other is in Hòuhǎi, not far from the Prince Gong's Mansion—larger, a three-courtyard compound, over a thousand square meters. I didn't ask the exact size, and it's co-owned by several brothers in one family—they're divided; some want to sell, others don't."

Wei Ming really did need to buy two—Xue Jie one, Lin Jie one.

"Please keep an eye on that second one for me."

"You want both?"

"Yes."

Li Guangfu burst out laughing in surprise: "Just now you said you were strapped for cash—I shouldn't have believed you, Teacher Wei, are ever short of money."

Wei Ming: "Actually, I'm not buying them—I'm looking for a friend."

Yes, just looking for a friend—he'd put them in their names later.

Li Guangfu was half-skeptical.

The male lead Ma Jie in Group A of "The Two Donkeys" wasn't a new recruit from the theatre—he was Yang Lixin, who had joined years ago, and this was his first time playing a lead role.

Wei Ming chatted with him a bit, helping him analyze the character.

Yang Lixin praised Wei Ming's dialogue in the novel: "Ma Jie's lines feel exactly like what we Beijing kids say. Teacher Wei, when will you write another novel like this?"

Wei Ming laughed: "My new book is in the same style."

"When can we read it?"

"Wait. This year."

If not for all these mundane affairs, it could've been published this month—now he could only take his time.

Zhu Lin bid farewell to Zhu Lin; Wei Ming took her back to Tuanjiehu. They too had to take their time—after all, they'd expended a lot in the morning, and the pace was slow.

When Qi Delong and the students returned to Uncle Li's house, Qi Kexiu had already returned from the cinema "resting."

After watching "Heroes Rise from Youth," he felt utterly refreshed—awesome, incredibly awesome. No wonder it was Wei Kuangren's work; though the screenwriter was Xiao Ming, it still captured seven or eight tenths of Kuangren Teacher's genius.

When Qi Delong mentioned they'd visited his cousin's Sihe Academy, Qi Kexiu's good mood soured.

He asked: "How big is the courtyard inside?"

"We didn't go in—Brother Ming was inside creating, and the door was locked."

Qi Kexiu perked up: "Maybe your uncle is just bluffing—borrowing someone else's house to pretend it's his own."

Qi Delong frowned: "That's unlikely. Can't you stop thinking so badly of others?"

"You never know—Brother Ming spends money too freely. He doesn't seem like someone who saves. Buying an apartment is already impressive. What kind of family could afford two houses? Why not four?"

(End of month—please vote for monthly tickets!)

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